TSL 610 - 01:Applied Linguistics & Professional Practice

TSL 610 - 01:Applied Linguistics & Professional Practice

Course Policies and Syllabus
Fall 2001

Department: English & PhilosophyMeeting Place: Faculty Hall Rm. 500

Instructor: Dr. Latricia TritesClass Time: M 5:00 PM – 800 PM

Office: FH 7B19

Phone: (270) 762-4721

Fax: (270) 762-4545

E-mail:

Office hours:

Mondays 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Wednesdays 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Thursdays 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM & 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Other hours by appointment

Course Title: Applied Linguistics and Professional Practices

Catalog Description: A specialized application of subareas of linguistics with emphasis on the impact of theories of linguistics on ESL/EFL pedagogy. Topics of focus include issues in research design and methodology, the ethics of teaching, and skills needed to participate as an active ESL/EFL professional. Prerequisite: 510.

Purpose: To develop students’ understanding of the principles and issues in applied linguistics and allow them to relate those issues to their own ESL teaching.

Course Objectives: By the end of the course, students in this class are expected to

1. Be familiar with theoretical concepts/models and terminology in applied linguistics.

2. Analyze research in applied linguistics for assumptions and hypotheses about second language learning and teaching to allow them to become “critical consumers” of future research in applied linguistics.

3. Design and conduct original research in the field of ESL.

4. Acquire skills that will allow them to be active contributors to the field of ESL: writing abstracts, writing research proposals, presenting research, integrating technology into presentations.

Content Outline: The first part of the course will be devoted to general theoretical issues surrounding applied linguistics and a discussion of specific theories. The rest of the course will involve analyzing applications of linguistic theories in ESL in the literature and developing skills for carrying out and reporting student-designed research to the TESOL community

Instructional Activities: The primary format of this course will be discussion and workshop. Additionally, I will present information on specific topics in a lecture style format when appropriate. You are expected to read the assigned material and come to class prepared to discuss it. There will be some in-class writing assignments and other activities to facilitate discussion, when appropriate. The assignments and research that you conduct as part of class will become part of class discussions.

Field, Clinical and/or Lab experience: None except as it pertains to the projects/research that students conduct for class.

Resources: The Murray State University Library will serve as the principal resource. However, interlibrary loan and the World Wide Web will also be very useful for this course. Certain parts of this class, such as the discussion forum, will be held on the blackboard site accessible on any internet-connected computer via the E-study center on Racernet ( Students may also use the blackboard site for their collaborative research projects.

Grading procedure: Semester grades will be determined as follows:

Attendance, Preparation and Class participation 5 pts.

Article reviews (2 @ 10 pts. each)20 pts.

Midterm15 pts.

Project Proposal 5 pts.

Annotated Bibliography10 pts.

Project Presentation10 pts.

Original Research Project25 pts.

Portfolio Project10 pts.

Total 100 pts.

Note: Items in italics are group project items and will consist of both an overall group grade and an individual grade component.

• Article reviews: You will be required to find and assess two studies on the application of any linguistic theory to ESL teaching. Since materials on your chosen topic in the Waterfield library may be somewhat limited, I recommend that you select your articles very soon. The articles must discuss a study or experiment. Articles should relate to your research project and must be approved by the instructor. You may get no more than one of your articles from the internet.

• Original Research: You will plan, develop, conduct, and report on an original research project that will require that you get IRB approval prior to conducting the research. This project will be a group project, requiring your group to meet with me at least two times during the semester.

• Portfolio Project: You will continue to develop a professional portfolio for teaching. For this course, you will be expected to develop a “Theory and Practice” section of your portfolio.

Attendance: Prompt and regular attendance is required for this course. Your final grade will be lowered if you have excessive absences. Since this class meets once a week (only 14 times this semester) more than one absence is considered excessive. Students who miss 3 classes, the equivalent of 3 weeks, will not be able to pass the class and will receive an E for the course.

Academic Honesty Policy: This policy is provided in the Murray State Student Handbook on page 30, and can be accessed online at the following address:

Textbook and other course expenses:

Required texts:

Brown, J. D. (1988). Understanding second language research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Richards, J., (Ed.) (1998). Teaching in action: Case studies from second language classrooms. Alexandria, VA: TESOL Inc.

Other articles will be placed on reserve at the Waterfield Library and/or will be placed on the Blackboard site. Listed in order of assigned reading.

Lakoff, G. (1942). The contemporary theory of metaphor. In A. Ortony (Ed.), Metaphor and thought (2nd ed.) ppp. 202-251.Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

Linstromberg, S. (1996). Prepositions: Meaning and method. ELT Journal 50 (3) 225-236.

Polio, C., & Gass, S. (1998). The role of interaction in native speaker comprehension of nonnative speaker speech. The Modern Language Journal, 82, 308-319.

Lisman, C. D. (1996). The elements of Ethics. In The curricular integration of ethics: Theory and practice (9-18). Westport, CN: Praeger.

Lisman, C. D. (1996). The role of moral theory in ethical decision making. In The curricular integration of ethics: Theory and practice (pp. 19-31). Westport, CN: Praeger.

Lisman, C. D. (1996). The ethics of teaching. In The curricular integration of ethics: Theory and practice (pp. 67-72). Westport, CN: Praeger.

Lisman, C. D. (1996). Research ethics. In The curricular integration of ethics: Theory and practice (pp. 103-116). Westport, CN: Praeger.

Nunan, D. (1992). An introduction to research methods and traditions. In Research methods in language learning (pp. 1-23). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

Nunan, D. (1992). Doing research. In Research methods in language learning (pp. 211-233). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

Freeman, D. (1998). Doing teacher research. Pacific Grove: Heinle & Heinle.

Nunan, D. (1992). Elicitation techniques. In Research methods in language learning (pp. 136-158). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

Nunan, D. (1990). Action research in the language classroom. In J. Richards & D. Nunan (eds.), Second language teacher education (pp. 62-81). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

Fischer, J. (1996). Open to ideas: Developing a framework for your research. In G. Burnaford, J. Fischer, & D, Hobson (eds.), Teachers doing research : practical possibilities (pp. 33-50). Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Johnson, D., & Chen, L. (1992). Researchers, teachers, and inquiry. In D. Johnson, Approaches to research in second language learning (pp. 212-227).White Plains, NY: Longman.

Zobl, H. (1995). Converging evidence for the ‘acquisition-learning’ distinction. Applied Linguistics, 16, 35-56.

Klein, E. (1995). Evidence for a ‘wild’ L2 grammar: When PPs rear their empty heads. Applied Linguistics, 16, 87-117.

Auerbach, E. ( ). The politics of the ESL classroom: Issues of power in pedagogical choices.

Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Chaos/complexity science and second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 18, 141-165.

Olshtain, E., & Cohen, A. (1990). The learning of complex speech act behavior. TESL Canada Journal 7 (2) 45-65.

Weinert, R. (1995). The role of formulaic language in second language acquisition: A review. Applied Linguistics, 16, 180-205.

Boxer, D., & Pickering, L. (1995). Problems in the presentation of speech acts in ELT materials: The case of complaints. ELT Journal 49 (1) 44-58.

Van Patten, B. (1990). Attending to form and content in the input. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 12, 287-301.

Course Policies/Expectations:

1. Graduate level performance is expected from all students. At the graduate level, it is assumed that students are, to a great extent, responsible for their own learning. Therefore, all readings and assignments are to be completed PRIOR to the class for which they are assigned in a thorough and timely manner. Class attendance and quality in-class participation is expected. If you are absent, you should call a classmate to get class notes and assignments.

1. Students are expected to complete all assignments on time. All out-of-class assignments should be typewritten, unless otherwise stated, following standard academic conventions and the APA style manual.

1. Late work will be accepted only with prior instructor consent and WILL BE PENALIZED a letter grade for each 24 hours that the assignment is late. If you are absent the day when a homework assignment is due, you are still required to hand it in on time. Receiving permission to submit an assignment late will not remove the penalty. Special exceptions for emergencies may be made in accordance with University Policy.

1. Students are expected to participate fully in all class discussions.

1. You will be required to meet with me in my office twice this semester. The sign-up sheet for the first meeting will be passed around on the first day of class.

Course Schedule (Tentative)

Date

/ Topic / Reading Assignment / Assignments Due
8/27 / Introductions,
Course Overview,
Class Project
9/3 / Labor Day NO CLASS
9/10 / Understanding Research,
Types of Research,
Selecting Group Members / Brown - Chapters 1-4
9/17 / TESOL and the contemporary Theory of Metaphor. Applications of metaphor theory. / Brown - Chapter 5
Lakoff (1993)
Linstromberg (1996)
Polio & Gass (1998)
9/24 / Ethics and the teacher/researcher dichotomy. / Packet on Ethics (on reserve)
Nunan (Introduction to Research Methods…)
Nunan (Doing Research) / Preliminary Proposals for research design due
10/1 / 1st article critique due (Class Presentation) / Freeman (1998)
Nunan (Elicitation Techniques) / Revision of research proposals
10/8 / Action Research
IRB review forms due (during the week) / Nunan (Action Research)
Fischer (1996)
Johnson & Chen (1992)
10/15 / The learning/acquisition distinction revisited / Zobl (1995)
Brown Ch. 6 & 7 / Annotated Bibliography Due
10/22 / Wild L2 grammars and other problems for “tidy” theories. / Klein (1995)
Brown Ch. 8 & 9
10/29 / Understanding research revisited: The good, the bad, and the ugly / Brown Ch. 10-13
11/5 / Exam
11/12 / 2nd Article critique due (Class presentation using Powerpoint™) / Auerbach
Richards Ch 6 & 20
11/19 / TESOL and Chaos/Complexity;
Case studies in TESOL/Applied Linguistics / Larsen-Freeman (1997)
Olshtain & Cohen (1990)
Student presentations of selected chapters from Richards / Research Abstracts Due
11/26 / Speech acts/pragmatics in applied linguistics;
Case studies in TESOL/Applied Linguistics / Weinert (1995)
Boxer & Pickering (1995)
Van Patten (1990)
Student presentations of selected chapters from Richards / Research Projects Due
12/3 / Presenting and publishing for novices; Case studies in TESOL/Applied Linguistics / Project Presentations
12/10 / Portfolios Due

NOTE: Schedule may change at the discretion of the professor. All changes will be announced in class.

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